Sky Atlantic has boarded Showtime’s horror drama Penny Dreadful, which is being produced by Sam Mendes’ Neal Street Productions.
The pay-TV broadcaster will co-produce the series after the US cable network ordered it earlier this year, marking the first time that the two broadcasters have worked together.
Penny Dreadful, which will become one of the first major US TV dramas to be shot in the UK after receiving a high-end drama tax break, is set in Victorian London and will feature some of literature’s most iconic horror characters including Dr. Frankenstein and Dracula.
The series, which stars Josh Hartnett, Rory Kinnear and Billie Piper, is written by John Logan (Skyfall) and exec produced by Neal Street’s Harris and Mendes and produced in association with Logan’s Desert Wolf Productions.
It was originally ordered by Showtime’s president of entertainment David Nivens in January and is set to start filming later this year ahead of a launch in 2014.
The move comes after Sky’s director of entertainment channels Stuart Murphy said last month that the broadcaster was keen to invest in more international co-productions.
Anne Mensah, Sky’s head of drama, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with John Logan and Sam Mendes on what will be a stunning, mesmerising and terrifying series on a cinematic scale - all of which makes it perfect for Sky Atlantic.”
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